I need you
by DolphinPatronus22
Summary: It's not going to be goodbye, just a see you later. H\Hr.


**Here goes something new, I think. Well, I hope you like it. Surprisingly, I don't have much to say about this, so I'll just leave you to read. But, before that, here's a quote.**

"**If you don't have the time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that." – Stephen King.**

**EDIT: Okay, I **_**do**_** have things to say about this. So, you see that the writing style and the persons and everything else changes from time to time? I have no idea why, I just wanted to it that way, I know it looks all messy and strange, but, **_**who cares?**_** This is like an exercise, y'know? Like, the first part is in second person, and then the next is just dialogue, and it's happening before the thing in the first part happens, and then the next is first person which is when the first thing happens, and then the last is third person and that's when the last thing happens. I just wanted to mess things up, try new things. So, don't be mad at me please, this is just me experimenting, besides, doesn't it look funny? It just came out like that, deal with it.**

**Well, that rambling of mine wasn't confusing and twisted at all. I need to start making myself more understandable, don't you think?**

_**Oh, I almost forgot: I don't own this, I never have and I never will and you should be locked up if you think that I do.**_

"_I've been thinking about going back to Hogwarts."_

You've been pondering about those seven words for the past thirty minutes.

She's been _thinking_ about it.

Of course she hasn't, it's obvious she wants to go back.

But she tells you that she's been _thinking_ about it, it's not final, because of you.

She hasn't decided because of _you_. Because she wants to hear _your_ opinion.

You know that if you tell her yes, then she will go, just as she plans and wants, but if you tell her no [which you are quite tempted to do] she won't, just because of you.

Merlin, you're an idiot, you know that?

* * *

"Oh, please Harry, I could beat you in Wizarding Chess with my eyes closed."

"Bugger off."

"He's right, you know."

"You're only agreeing with him because you fancy him, Luna. Don't lie."

"Stuff it, Harry."

"Move your knight to the left."

"Ginny, not to be rude or anything, but you know _nothing_ about this."

"Yes, I do. I kicked Ron's-"

"_Don't!_"

"-arse one summer, so do as I say."

"It's okay, Ronald, it doesn't make you any less macho if you get beaten by a girl."

"Luna, didn't I tell you that he has a Pigmy Puff tattoo? How much less macho can you get?"

"I don't believe a word of it, Ginny."

"Because, somehow, you fancy my brother."

"_Could you please stop with the fancying thing? _I'm trying to concentrate!"

"I thought you said that you could beat me with your eyes closed. Surely some girls twittering-"

"We are not _twittering_!"

"-shouldn't bother you."

"Stuff it, Harry."

"Your wish is my command."

"I'm sure Ronald doesn't mean that."

"Only my mum and dad call me 'Ronald', Luna."

"Well, get used to it, your name is Ronald, and as such I will call you."

"I still can't believe we ended up being best friends."

"Maybe because you fancy her, too?"

"_Ginny_!"

"Sorry, my mouth got carried away."

"Yes, it did."

"Stuff it, Harry."

"How many times are you guys going to tell me that?"

"Stuff if, Harry."

"Thanks, Luna."

"Stuff it, Harry."

"Thanks, Hermione- Her-_HERMIONE_?"

* * *

"_Stuff it, Harry."_

I love surprising them.

"What are you doing here? We thought you were with McGonagall." Luna says, looking up from the chess board.

"What were you with McGonagall for?" Ron asks, frowning.

"Oh…um I, well- I've been thinking about going back to Hogwarts."

Luna and Ginny don't react, they already knew, of course.

Ron snorts. "I should've known. Of course you'd want to go back."

I roll my eyes. "Yes, _Ronald_." I spit at him. Emotional range of a teaspoon? I think so.

"Oh, don't go rowing now, please."

"Luna, you're only saying that because you fancy him."

Ron's eyes widen and the tip of his ears get as red as his hair. "What is with you?"

Luna just smiles dreamily and shakes her head.

I can't wait for them to notice. They'll be fun to watch.

They know now, but…there's still someone else missing.

"Harry? What do you think?"

I go and sit next to him in the couch.

I want to know what he has to say about this.

I _need_ to know.

I sigh.

He's closing off, I can tell by the look in his eyes and the way that he just shifted slightly away from me. He that he doesn't want me to know what he's _really_ thinking. I've dealt with this before.

"It'd be like a closure for you, right? Of course you'd want to go back, and, obviously, they'll make you Head Girl and you'll pass all your N.E. and-"

"Harry," I interrupt him. "I want to know what _you_ _think about it_."

"It doesn't really matter, does it? It's what you really want to do. I can tell." He says. I can't help but notice that there's resentment in his voice.

I inwardly wince. This can't be good.

The others seem to – thank Merlin – pick up on the tone and they make some awful excuses to get out of the room. ("_Oh!_ Luna! There's something I need to show you! Harry and I found some nargles behind the counter, Ginny would you be a doll and help us?" "Oh, yes, yes!")

Harry is avoiding catching my eyes. He's looking at everything except me.

"Look at me, Harry."

He slowly drags his eyes to mine.

"What is it?"

He gets this pained expression in his face, and his eyes get all hollow and sad and lost.

I've seen this look before.

"It's not to be so different, you know. We'll owl each other _every day_, and you can come and visit me every Hogsmeade weekend- maybe even every weekend if McGonagall allows it."

"It won't be the same." he whispers.

I take my hand in his and entwine our fingers.

"No, but it's only going to be for a year. That's it."

He lets go of my hand and looks away. He stares at the wall, and then he speaks so quietly my ears strain to her him.

"I need you."

_I need you. I _need_ you. _He _needs _me. _He needs _me_. I need you._

"_Oh, Harry_."

I reach out for him at the same time he reaches out for me. Our hands meet halfway.

"If you think it's a bad idea-"

"No, of course I don't. I just-"

"I won't go, then! If you don't want me to-"

"Don't be silly, you _know_ you want to go and so do I. But-"

"I would ask you and Ron to come with me, but Ron would rather be locked in a room with a Blast-Ended Screwt rather than go back, and you…well…you-"

"I _know_. You promise to owl me every day?"

"Harry, how could I not? I'll miss you."

He smiles at that, but the smile soon fades.

"You're not going away. It's not going to be…g-goodbye or anything, just a 'see you later'."

I can feel my eyes water at that.

"You know that you're going to be able to visit me whenever you want, right? If you want to visit me, that is-"

"Of course I would _want_ to. I just-" he stops and visibly swallows.

"Can't." I finish for him, because I know that he can't.

He nods.

I lean into him and my arms wrap around his shoulders. His hands snake around my waist, and he buries his face into my neck, taking deep breaths and letting them out, tickling my skin.

_It's not going to be goodbye, just a see you later_.

Why, oh why, does he have to suffer so much? He's done _nothing_ to deserve this. He's seen death, he's battled – and defeated – the psychotic wizard that's been out to get him since his birth, and he's saved us all. He doesn't need any more suffering and pain!

Yeah, he vanished all the terror from the Wizarding World, but what about the terror that's inside him?

I wish that _I_ could vanish his terror; I wish I could make it go away.

"You may not be able to make it go away, Hermione, but you make it bearable."

_Oh, God!_ I said that aloud?

He breaks from our hug and looks at my shocked and embarrassed face. He smirks at me, eyes full of mirth. I smile back at him, but I sober up quickly.

"I mean it." I tell him quietly.

"I know you do."

His tone is so sincere, like he has complete faith in me.

I look at him; look into those green eyes I know so well and I can't help the tingling in my stomach.

_I love you_.

At least I don't say it aloud. Good for me.

"Come on," he says, clearing his throat and standing up. "let's go with them."

I stand up, too, and then remember something he said earlier.

"Do you really think McGonagall'll make me Head Girl? And that I'll pass all my N.E.W.T.S?"

He's still laughing even after we find Luna, Ron and Ginny.

* * *

**MANY, MANY, MANY MONTHS LATER…**

OR_ AN ETERNITY LATER…_

* * *

Harry Potter leans casually against the wall in Platform 9 3\4, pretending to be concentrating on a pamphlet before disappearing through it.

_Dammit_, he thinks. The station wasn't as empty as he thought it was going to be. He pulls his hat lower on his head, hoping that his unruly hair would flatten beneath it and cover his scar. His other hand wraps around his wand in his coat pocket. Just in case, but it's not like he expected to be attacked or killed in a train station. Of course not.

But he wasn't going to forget Moody's advice, not for a long while:

"_CONSTANT VIGILANCE!"_

Constant vigilance, indeed.

_Where is that train?_, he thinks impatiently.

Someone points at him. Maybe not _at_ him, but in his general direction.

He really hoped that nobody would be able to recognize with; he doesn't think he can deal with it right now.

It's been a whole year and he still can't deal with it. He still hasn't set a foot in Hogwarts; he hasn't been back to Godric's Hollow or Grimmauld Place.

May the 2nd had been one of the hardest days of his life.

From what Hermione had told him, they had been planning on holding a Victory Ball at Hogwarts and in the morning everyone shot sparks into the air as a remembrance gesture. Harry was, obviously, invited to the Ball by McGonagall, but he politely refused.

He couldn't do it. He just _couldn't_.

He spent that day in Hogsmeade, which was as close as Harry was able to get to Hogwarts without getting that hollow feeling in his stomach. He stayed with Hermione in Hogsmeade the whole day, talking about everything and nothing. Ron had been too busy dancing his arse off with a certain blond friend and Ginny had also been too busy dancing with a certain round faced, forgetful bloke.

And now here he was, waiting for the Hogwart's Express, waiting for Ginny and Luna and…_Hermione_ to come back.

A loud train whistle brings him back to his senses.

He just stands there, waiting for the train to stop, and then, all of a sudden, students flood out of it. Parents and friends and students and people surround him, and he doesn't even feel the slightest bit uncomfortable, as people had yet to recognize him, and it feels _good_, being part of the crowd, being able to sink in it and not have a worry in the world.

And then he hears it.

"_Harry!_"

Of course. She'd be able to find him anywhere, whether he was invisible or whether he was in the middle of a crowd; she'd always be able to find him.

He turns around sharply and ses her, bushy brown hair and radiant smile, and, he can't help himself, and he runs -_sprints- _towards her.

They meet halfway, just like they always do.

She jumps into his arms, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck and he is just so happy and so relieved to see her that he spins her around, lifting her off her feet. Her giggles mingling with his cries of joy and relief.

He doesn't even care that they were in a train station, that there were hundreds of people surrounding them, that his hat had fallen off while he ran towards her and that the people were starting to recognize him, pointing and staring; everything was narrowed down to Hermione, and how she was finally here, with him, and how he felt dizzy with happiness and how _amazing_ it was to have her in his arms.

The babble incoherent babble to each other:

"I missed you _so_ much-"

"I can't believe it! Oh-"

"_Finally. _It's been so dreadful-"

"I _never_ want to leave you again. I-"

"I missed you. Merlin I-"

"But here you are, and _oh, Harry_!-"

Two loud coughs bring them back to reality.

"_We _came back, too, you know."

They break apart, embarrassed smiles playing on their faces.

"Sorry, sorry. I know how demanding you are, love." Harry joked as he hugged Ginny and Luna swiftly.

"Where are the others?" Luna asks feigning nonchalance and pretending not to look around.

"I know that you're just asking for Ron." Harry teases her, as they all walked away from the train and the crowd that has now finally really noticed that Harry Potter was amongst them.

"Stuff it, Harry."

"They couldn't come. Work stuff or whatever, so I decide to come and pick up my three favorite ladies." He says, grinning at them cheekily.

"You mean, 'your _one_ favorite lady and her friends', Harry." Ginny says smugly, patting him on the back.

"Stuff it, Ginny."

"Oh, come on now, no need to get all hostile." Hermione scolds them, even though she's trying really hard to hide her smug smile.

"Well, I'm going back to the Burrow now." Ginny says suddenly, eyeing Harry and Hermione. "Luna, would you care to join me and find your beloved one?" she says to her, extending her arm.

"I would, thank you very much." Luna answers happily, entwining her arm with Ginny's.

"Good night to you two." Ginny says with a wink and a playful smile before Apparating away with Luna.

"They're really strange aren't they?" Harry says, taking Hermione's trunk handle away from her and grabbing her other hand.

She looks at him with a strange glint in her eyes.

"Maybe."

As they Apparate to his flat, Harry wonders if that 'maybe' applies to more than one thing.

**That was strange. **

**But, I actually like it.**

**I like the whole changing persons and times thing, but….tell me what **_**you**_** think. I know it's quite strange. **

_**Let bygones be bygones. **_

**MANY, MANY, MANY MONTHS LATER… (Hermione)**

OR_ AN ETERNITY LATER… (Harry)_

**Just thought I should clear that up with you.**

**Oh, here's another quote: (I've been having an obsession with quotes lately)**

"_Other men said they have seen angels_

_But I have seen thee,_

_And thou art enough." – G. Moore._

**Don't we all want boys to say that to us? *sigh***

**DOES ANYBODY KNOW HOW TO UPLOAD STORIES INTO I HONEST TO MERLIN WANT TO KNOW!**

**thank you.**


End file.
